Fixture with drawers



J- M- MARATECK ETAL FIXTURE WITH DRAWERS Filed Dec. 14, 1964 F I G. 3

United States Patent 3,294,466 FIXTURE WITH DRAWERS Jack M. Marateck,New York, N.Y. (785 Mace Ave., Bronx, N.Y. 10467), and Harold Marateck,New York, N.Y. (1075 Nelson Ave., Bronx, N.Y. 16453) Filed Dec. 14,1964, Ser. No. 418,002 13 Claims. (Cl. 312-343) The present inventionrelates to a structure, in the nature of an article of furniture orfixture, such as is used in commerical and industrial establishments, asa showcase, display counter or cabinet, or the like, having anassociated drawer or drawers.

The present invention is particularly directed to the drawers of suchstructures and the means for slidably mounting them in the structure.

It is an object of the present invention to provide structures, of thecharacter described, and drawer therefor, that may be easily andconveniently and economically shipped and stored in knock-down positionand easily and conveniently assembled, at the point of use, at a minimumof time, with great acuracy, even by persons having a minimum of skilland using few and simple tools.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide structures, ofthe character described, having drawers which may be assembled withgreat accuracy and exactness for acurate fitting and easy movement inthe structures.

It is another object of the present invention to provide structures ofthe character described, which are strong and sturdy.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide structures,of the character described, in which both drawer and cabinet may bequickly, easily and economically repaired, to replace any part thereof,without the need of replacing the entire drawer or to dismantle thegreater part thereof.

It is still a further object of the present invention to providestructures of the character described, which are of attractiveappearance and which are, to a large degree, protected against damage toits surface, especially to its top and side corners.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the structures of thepresent invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in theart from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings. Itis to be understood, however, that such embodiment is shown by way ofillustration only, to make the principles and practice of the inventionmore readily comprehensible and are without any intent of limiting theinvention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a structure of the present invention inthe form of a store counter having drawers, in assembled state with onedrawer partly withdrawn; partly broken away, to show structural details;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section taken on line 33 of FIG. 1.

Referring now in greater detail to the embodiment of the inventionillustrated in the drawings, the fixture or counter therein showncomprises an outer structure comprising side walls, 10, a rear wall 12,a bottom wall, 14, and a top wall, 16. The counter also comprises afront wall or frame, 18, having openings, 20, for receiving a pluralityof drawers, each generally designated as 22.

The panels forming the several walls of the structure of the presentinvention may be precut at the factory and shipped and stored, to beassembled at the point of use by either of the means described andclaimed in my co- 3,294,466 Patented Dec. 27, 1966 pending applications,Serial No. 415,080, filed Dec. 1, 1964, and Serial No. 415,081 filedDec. 1, 1964. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, such meansof assembly is indicated as being of that described in my co-pendingapplication, Serial No. 415,081.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the siderear and front walls of the counter are shown to be elevated above thetop wall to provide a tray formation at the top of the counter and thetop edges of the sides and rear walls and the front frame 10, 12, and 18are protected against damage by means of a channelshaped shield,generally designated as 24, as of plastic or metal preferably formed byextrusion, consisting of top wall 26, and side walls 28, each formedwith an inwardly extending preferably tapering narrow flange, 30, alongits longitudinal edge. To receive and hold the channelshaped shield 24the sides of the upper end portions of the walls 10 and 12 and the depthof the front frame 20 may be reduced in thickness, one each side alongtheir entire length to a depth equal to the height of the walls 26 and28 of the channel member 24 and to a height equal to the height of sidewalls, and may be provided at the bases of the reduced portions withgrooves 32, each adapted to receive one of the flanges 319 to hold theshield in place. Precut sections of the channel shaped shield 24 of anappropriate length for the side walls, the rear wall and front frame,and appropriately mitered, may be provided in the shipping kit of thecounter of the invention and these shield sections may he slid on theirrespective wall portions before these walls are assembled with oneanother.

Each drawer 22 comprises a pair of side walls, each generally designatedas 36, formed, preferably, of a material that may be stamped, molded orcast, such as metal. Each side wall 36 includes a fiat, upright wallsection, 38, extending substantially the length of the drawer, providedwith an outwardly-offset flange, 40, at its upper end and aninwardly-facing channel section, 42, at its lower edge, likewiseextending substantially the length thereof. Such channel section 42 maypreferably project outwardly from the upright wall portion 38 and itsbottom side, 44, may preferably project inwardly past the upright wallsection 38. The two channel sections 42 of the two side walls 38 of eachdrawer serve to engage and support opposed side edges of a drawerbottom, 46.

Each of the side walls 38 of the drawer is also formed withinwardly-offset portions or flanges, 48 and 50, respectively, extendingsubstantially the height thereof, at its inner and outer edges,respectively; each provided with a plurality of vertically-spacedscrew-receiving openings, 52. The rear wall, 54, of the drawer may besecured against either the inner or the outer faces of the inner flanges48, as by screws, 56, and the front wall of the drawer may be secured tothe outer flanges 50 of the drawer wall sections 38. In order not todetract from the appearance of the front of the drawer, the front wallmay be secured thereto in a manner to cover the entire drawer opening 20and, if desired, to overlie the marginal edge portion of the frame 18,surrounding the drawer opening 20. To that end, the vertical edges ofthe front wall may have their inner corners cut away to define an innerwall section, 60, equal to the inner width of the drawer, and an outerwall section, 62, of a length and width equal, at least, to the lengthand width of the drawer opening 20; the two sections being defined by ashoulder, 64. To secure the front wall of the drawer on the outerflanges 50, vertical slots, 66, are formed in the front wall, at eachend thereof, at the inner end of the shoulders 64. The slots 66 openinto the bottom edge of the front wall so that the latter may he slidover the flanges 50. The front wall may then be secured in place on theflanges 50, as by self-threading screws which may be set into thepreformed openings in the inner wall portion 60 that engage in theopenings 52 of the flanges 50. For neater appearance, the slots 66 mayterminate short of the top edge of the front wall.

Roller means may be provided for the sliding suspension of the drawerwithinthe counter. Such suspension means may comprise a roller, 70,mounted on upright section 38 of each side wall 36, at its rear uppercorner, below flange 40, and a horizontally-disposed channel member, 72,secured against the adjacent side wall 10, and, where more than onedrawer is provided laterally within a counter, also against the adjacentpartition, 74, which serves as a second side wall for the adjacentdrawer receiving recesses in the counter.

An angle bar extending substantially the length of the side wall section38 is secured to each side wall, on its exterior, in an arrangementwherein the free edge of one leg, 78, will abut the top of the channelsection 42, with the other leg, 80, spaced from and disposed above saidchannel section, and a roller, 84, is secured against the adjacent sidewall or partition 74 at its lower front corner, adjacent the frontedges, in position to underlie and substantially abut the underside ofthe angle bar leg 80 when the roller 72 is disposed within the channelmember 72. Where a plurality of vertically-arranged drawers are providedin the counter, the rollers 84 for each of the drawers in a vertical rowmay be secured and mounted on a metal plate, 86, in appropriately spacedrelation for engaging the angle bar legs 80 of the several drawers 22.

This completes the description of the structure of the presentinvention. It will be readily apparent that the several parts formingthe outer part of the structure, as well as the drawers thereof, may bereadily pre-formed at a factory in appropriate matching sizes and shapesand shipped in knockdown state to a point of use. It will also bereadily apparent that when desired to set up, the shield sections 24 maybe slipped over the projecting top edges with the side and rear wallsand the front frame and the side and rear walls and frame may be readilyassembled with one another and with the top and bottom walls in themanner described in either of my aforesaid co-pending applications. Itwill be understood that the rollers 70 and the angle bars 78-80 will besecured in appropriate position on the drawer sides at the point ofmanufacture. The channels 72 and the rollers 84 may be secured to sidewalls 10 and partitions 74, either at point of manufacture or at pointof assembly; suitable guide marks being provided on the walls andpartitions, in the latter instance. The rollers 84 may be secureddirectly to the walls 10 and partitions 74 or to the bar 86.

It will be readily apparent that the accurate assembly of the structureof the present invention may be readily effected at the point of use byanyone having a minimum of skill in the use of simple tools. It willalso be apparent that the assembled structure will be strong and sturdyand its drawers will operate easily and smoothly; the vertical spacingof the rollers 70 and 84 assuring the steadiness of the drawers duringtheir sliding movement and their adequate support even when in withdrawnposition. It will be likewise apparent that the structure of the presentinvention will have maximum protection against being marred or damagedand that any damaged part thereof may be easily, quickly, andeconomically replaced without the need for replacing the entirestructure.

It will be further apparent that numerous modifications and variationsmay be made in the structures of the present invention by anyone skilledin the art, in accordance with the principles of the inventionhereinabove set forth, without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity.I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such variations andmodifications that may be made within the spirit of the invention andscope of the claims hereto appended.

What we claim is:

1. In combination, a cabinet, including spaced upright walls defining adrawer compartment and a drawer for said cabinet slidably supportedbetween said upright walls in said compartment, said drawer includingspaced side walls each having means at its front and rear ends forsecuring front and rear drawer walls thereto, each said side wall havinga longitudinally-extending channel at its bottom facing the channel ofthe other of said side walls, said channels adapted to receive a bottomwall of said drawer, said bottom wall supported by its marginal edgeportions within said channels, and means slidably supporting said drawerin said cabinet, said means including a roller mounted on the outer faceof each of said drawer side walls at its upper rear corner for rotationon an axis normal to said face, a horizontallyextending,outwardly-projecting bar secured to the outer face of each of saiddrawer side walls in normal relation to said face, in vertically-spacedrelation to said roller, a horizontally-extending, inwardly-facingchannel provided on each of said upright walls at the top end of saiddrawer compartment in position to receive the adjacent of saiddrawer-supported rollers thereon, and a roller rotatably mounted on theinner face of each of said upright walls at its lower front corner, inposition to support the adjacent of said bars when said drawersupportedrollers are disposed within said upright wallsupported channels.

2. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein said channels project outwardly fromsaid side wall and the bottom side of each said channel projectsinwardly past said side wall.

3. The cabinet of claim 2, wherein said bar comprises a leg of an anglebar, said angle bar secured to said drawer side walls by the other legthereof with its free edge disposed against the top side of saidchannel.

4. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein said means for securing said frontand rear walls of said drawer comprise an inwardly-oflset flange at eachend of each of said drawer side walls, each said flange havingscrew-receiving openings formed therethrough.

5. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein said front wall comprises an innersection of a length to fit between said drawer side walls and an outersection of greater length, and wherein a vertically-disposed,inwardly-extending groove is formed in said front wall at each junctionof said two wall sections, each said groove adapted to receivetherewithin the inwardly-offset front flange of a drawer side wall.

6. The cabinet of claim 5, wherein said front wall is of a heightgreater than the height of said flanges and said grooves terminate shortof the top edge of said front wall.

7. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein said cabinet is formed with a pair ofvertically-spaced drawer compartments and wherein said roller for thelower front corner of each said cabinet side walls of each saidcompartment, is mounted on a bar in common with the others, said barsecured in upright arrangement adjacent a forward edge of each saidcabinet side wall.

8. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein a rear and top wall are provided onsaid cabinet and wherein said walls project above said top wall andwherein a shield is provided for the edges of said projecting portions,said shield comprising a channel member, including top and side walls,said shield having inwardly-offset projections at the edge of each ofits side walls, said projecting edge portions of each said walls havinggrooves formed in its side faces adapted to slidably receive theprojecting portions of said channel side walls.

9. The cabinet of claim 8, wherein said channel members have an outerthickness equal to the thickness of a projecting portion of the wall onwhich it is mounted and the marginal edge portions of said walls abovesaid grooves have their side faces inwardly offset to an extent equal tothe thickness of a side wall of said channel member.

10. A sliding drawer for a cabinet comprising spaced side walls eachhaving means at its front and rear ends for securing front and reardrawer walls thereto, each said side walls having alongitudinally-extending channel at its bottom facing the channel of theother of said side walls, each said channel projecting outwardly of itsside wall and having its bottom wall extending inwardly past its sideWall, a bottom wall supported by its marginal side edge portions withinsaid channels, and means on the outer face of each of said side wallsfor slidably supporting the same, said means including a rollersupported at one rear corner thereof and a longitudinally-disposedrunner bar secured to said side wall in vertically-spaced relation tosaid roller.

11. The drawer of claim 10, wherein said means on said drawer side wallsfor securing front and rear walls thereto comprise integrally-formedinwardly-offset flanges at the front and rear end of each of said sideWalls, said flanges each having screw-receiving openings formedtherethrough.

12. The drawer of claim 11, including a front wall, said front wallhaving an inner section along its length References Cited by theExaminer UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1945 Berger 312--349 5/1954 Merrett312349 FOREIGN PATENTS 55,335 11/1910 Switzerland.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner.

F. DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION,A CABINET, INCLUDING SPACED UPRIGHT WALLS DEFINING ADRAWER COMPARTMENT AND A DRAWER FOR SAID CABINET SLIDABLY SUPPORTEDBETWEEN SAID UPRIGHT WALLS IN SAID COMPARTMENT, SAID DRAWER INCLUDINGSPACED SIDE WALLS EACH HAVING MEANS AT ITS FRONT AND REAR ENDS FORSECURING FRONT AND REAR DRAWER WALLS THERETO, EACH SAID SIDE WALL HAVINGA LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING CHANNEL AT ITS BOTTOM FACING THE CHANNEL OFTHE OTHER OF SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID CHANNEL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A BOTTOMWALL OF SAID DRAWER, SAID BOTTOM WALL SUPPORTED BY ITS MARGINAL EDGEPORTIONS WITHIN SAID CHANNELS, AND MEANS SLIDABLY SUPPORTING SAID DRAWERIN SAID CABINET, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A ROLLER MOUNTED ON THE OUTER FACEOF EACH OF SAID DRAWER SIDE WALLS AT ITS UPPER REAR CORNER FOR ROTATIONON AN AXIS NORMAL TO SAID FACE, A HORIZONTALLYEXTENDING,OUTWARDLY-PROJECTING BAR SECURED TO THE OUTER FACE OF EACH OF SAIDDRAWER SIDE WALLS IN NORMAL RELATION TO SAID FACE, IN VERTICALLY-SPACEDRELATION TO SAID ROLLER, A HORIZONTALLY-EXTENDING, INWARDLY-FACINGCHANNEL PROVIDED ON EACH OF SAID UPRIGHT WALLS AT THE TOP END OF SAIDDRAWER COMPARTMENT IN POSITION TO RECEIVE THE ADJACENT OF SAIDDRAWER-SUPPORTED ROLLERS THEREON, AND A ROLLER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THEINNER FACE OF EACH OF SAID UPRIGHT WALLS AT ITS LOWER FRONT CORNER, INPOSITION TO SUPPORT THE ADJACENT OF SAID BARS WHEN SAID DRAWERSUPPORTEDROLLERS ARE DISPOSED WITHIN SAID UPRIGHT WALLSUPPORTED CHANNELS.